What does footnote mean?
A footnote is a note placed at the bottom of a page in a book, article, or document, set off from the main body of text and usually indicated by a superscript number or symbol. Its purpose is to supply supporting material — citations of sources, clarifying comments, corrections, or additional context — without interrupting the reader's progress through the main argument. The word also carries a well-established figurative meaning: to call someone or something 'a footnote' to a larger event is to dismiss it as minor or forgettable. Footnotes are indispensable in scholarship and law, where rigorous documentation matters, though many styles now favor endnotes or inline citations instead. Famously beloved and lamented alike, the footnote occupies a curious place in writing: marginal by design, yet often the home of a writer's most candid remarks and sharpest observations.
A note of explanation, comment, or citation placed at the bottom of a page in a written work, referenced from the main text by a superscript number or symbol.
"Check the footnote before assuming the translation is the author's own."
To add a footnote to a text, or figuratively, to relegate someone or something to a minor, insignificant status.
"The editor asked her to footnote every direct quotation."
The standard plural; used when referring to multiple notes within one work.
"The chapter contains nearly two hundred footnotes."
The humble footnote got its start in the 17th century — and ever since, it has been the place where writers hide their best gossip, their sharpest asides, and their most devastating arguments.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of footnote
The word 'footnote' combines 'foot', from Old English 'fōt' of Germanic origin, and 'note', from Latin 'nota', meaning a mark or sign. The practice of placing explanatory marks at the foot of the page developed gradually in early modern printing, and the compound word emerged in English usage around the 17th to 19th centuries as scholarly publishing standardized the convention. The Latin root of 'note' also underlies related words such as 'notation', 'annotate', and 'denote'.
How footnote is actually used
As a figurative sense, 'a footnote to/for history' carries a condescending tone, suggesting someone or something is unimportant relative to major events. In academic writing, footnote conventions vary by citation style (e.g., Chicago permits extensive footnotes, while APA prefers minimal notes).
Easily confused with footnote
A footnote appears at the bottom of the page where its reference occurs, while an endnote is collected together with others at the end of a chapter or document.